Meir Atlas

Rabbi Meir Atlas
Personal
Born	1848 Baisagola, Lithuania
Died	1926 Šiauliai, Lithuania
Religion	Judaism
Spouse	Chiena Atlas (née Zogerer)
Parent(s)	R' David and Golda Atlaz
Denomination	Haredi Judaism
Jewish leader
Predecessor	Rabbi Yosef Zecharia Stern [HE]
Successor	Rabbi Aharon Bakst [HE]
Position	Rabbi
Synagogue	Šiauliai, Lithuania
Began	1904
Ended	1926

Meir Atlas (Hebrew: מאיר אטלס; 1848–1926) was the rabbi of numerous communities in pre-World War II Europe and one of the founders of the Telz Yeshiva. He was an outstanding halachic authority who authored many responsa and was one of the foremost Lithuanian rabbis of his time.

Biography

Rabbi Meir Atlas was born in 1848 in Baisagola, Lithuania. In 1875, together with Rabbi Zvi Yaakov Oppenheim, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Abel and the help of a German Jewish layman, Ovadyah Lachman, Atlas founded the Telz Yeshiva in Telz, Lithuania. He later served as rabbi and spiritual leader in a number of cities, including Libau in Latvia, Salant in Lithuania, and Kobryn in Belarus. In 1904, Rabbi Atlas was appointed rabbi to the community of Shavel.

Meir's brother was Rabbi Eliezer Atlas. His daughter Michle was married to Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman, His other sons-in-law include Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski and Rabbi Yehudel Kahana Shapiro, the son of Rabbi Zalman Sender Kahana Shapiro. Rabbi Meir died on the 12th of Shevat in 1926.